HeyJaredTough Things First
Voted a "top ten Silicon Valley podcast" by both Startup Basecamp and The Six Fifty, and a "top 25 Silicon Valley podcast" by Urban Marketplace.Ray Zinn, Silicon Valley's longest serving CEO, discusses entrepreneurship, leadership, executive management, humanistic business…
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 10
- Latest publication
- Sep 28, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Aug 21, 2026
Latest episodes
Picking a Business Partner (opens the original)
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One of the first decisions that can make or break a company is who you start it with. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn discusses why he treats that choice as more consequential than the product itself. Rob Artigo: Today we’re talking about one of the earliest decisions that can make or break a new company, picking a […]
You Always Need More Startup Capital Than You Think. (opens the original)
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In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn’s explains why launching on a tight number is like taking off without enough fuel to reach the destination. Rob Artigo: Ray, today’s topic is one founder’s learned the hard way, you always need more startup capital than you think. You’ve said if you don’t have enough cash, don’t start. Really just don’t […]
U.S. National Debt: Causes and Consequences (opens the original)
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America’s national debt has crossed $40 trillion, a milestone built by both parties and now charging businesses and families through higher interest, inflation pressure, and a government that spends as if cash were optional. In this Tough Things First conversation, Ray Zinn asks why Washington refuses the balance-sheet discipline every private enterprise must practice. (Watch Now!) Rob Artigo: Ray, this […]
If you Don’t Like to Worry, Don’t Start a Company (opens the original)
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Starting a company will keep you up at night — Ray Zinn just won’t let you waste that energy on things you can’t fix. In this episode of Tough Things First, he draws a hard line between concern you can act on and worry that only drains you, and why confusing the two will sink a founder before the product […]
Ambitious, but smart goal setting: Goals that force you to grow. (opens the original)
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On this episode of The Tough Things First Podcast, Ray Zinn argues that a goal should do more than nudge last year’s number. It should make you look up, lengthen your stride, and reach past what you already know how to do. Rob Artigo: Today we’re talking about ambitious but smart goal setting. The standard is not a little bit […]
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